In The Bay Area, the Farm-To-Table and Legal Cannabis Movements Come Together

By
Kimberly Homes, Forbes
on June 8, 2015

Transparency is a prominent force in today’s food industry. While farmers markets are hardly new, the attachment to organic, locally grown products have surfaced in other industries throughout San Francisco and Oakland–namely marijuana. These pot-friendly cities have seen a rise in cannabis delivery systems and sampling parties. In late February Flow Kana, “the world’s first farm-to-table cannabis delivery platform,” launched in San Francisco, foreshadowing the next generation of a once taboo trade. By the end of June the company will also serve Oakland and Berkeley.

Drawing inspiration from the farmer’s market model, Flow Kana partners with organic, sun-grown cannabis growers. Their platform enables users with medical marijuana cards to select desired strains and have 1/8 oz. of “connoisseur grade” marijuana delivered within thirty minutes for approximately $50. This model not only eliminates middlemen dispensaries, but also flips the economics of the industry. Farmers that were once at the mercy of dispensary rates can engage in a direct-trade business model similar to that of the direct-trade coffee movement.

Michael Steinmetz and Nick Smilgys, founders of Flow Kana, have received $500,000 in seed funding for the company. The two aim to change the cannabis industry by increasing the connection and transparency between farmers and consumers. Much of this revolves around what Steinmetz and Smilgys deem the “clean cannabis movement.”